In a vast expanse of dark arid land, a hooded figure atop a mutant horse creature with red eyes rode forward, dragging a wagon toward the side of a caved-in mountain.

On the slope of the mountain, covered in darkness and twinkling lights from old lanterns, a small settlement sat trailing into the mountainside. Its borders were covered with natural and artificial barriers, every inch solidly guarded with walls and guards.

This was Astoria, otherwise known as the city of thieves.

"Gate fee." In front of the gate, a pair of guards suddenly opened a door and appeared before the gate, stopping the hooded figure, an artificial clock dangling before them.

The clock hung on an iron chain, its sides boxed with four corners and a ticking hand evident, with a digital clock in the middle reading.

This was a Time Capsule Clock.

It was a tool used by organizations with clear hierarchies to collect payment, taxes, or store time without a human benefitting from it or it actually ticking.

A tool like this was absolutely necessary in a place like Astoria, as it allowed them to track time payments without it being at the whims of the official.

However—

"Hm." Instead of using his stored time, the hooded young man simply grabbed two precious gems and handed them to the guards before flashing a tattoo behind his wrist.

It was a six-sided symbol with the diagram of a mask and a pair of gloves.

"Okay." Nodding at the sight of the tattoo, one of the guards went to the security station and opened the gate for the hooded man from the inside.

The thieves guild was basically built into the infrastructure of Astoria, to the extent that most members didn't actually need to pay with time currency and could use any resource, not limited even to stolen items.

This was the power of the thieves guild, a power that had firmly crushed the settlement and its city guard.

As the hooded figure strode into the city and through the streets, he walked past a plethora of people seemingly busy with their various festive activities. None bothered to look at him, as most people in the city liked to keep their identities hidden.

Soon, he came to a stop in front of a building on a busy street and disembarked from his horse before proceeding to enter a small tavern.

"I'd like a room." He walked straight to the bartender and called out before flashing his tattoo.

"On what business?" The bartender squinted his eyes in frustration and asked calmly, looking over the young man behind the hood.

"I need to pay my taxes. Have to be here for a few days," he added.

There were various members of the thieves guild outside of Astoria, in smaller towns and settlements, all of whom had a duty to the guild. No matter what they stole, they had to account for it and give a percentage back to the guild.

This process was very serious, and defaulters received the harshest punishments. The guild even offered free housing inside Astoria to facilitate these payments whenever a member came into town.

All businesses in the housing industry had to abide by the rules set by the guild to house their outside members or face the wrath of the thieves.

"You'll be with three others, room 12." The bartender, writing down some words on a piece of paper, nodded, then gave the hooded figure a card allowing him to settle in and go up the stairs.

Click.

When he entered the room, he surveyed the other occupants before him.

There were three: one a female with black hair, seemingly blind; the other a young man rumpled with the eyes of a thief; and finally one with two daggers floating right in front of her.

"Shall we begin?" Smirking triumphantly, Enzo glanced at Raven, Yankai, and Mira.

They had spent close to two months planning their infiltration of Astoria, a strenuous task in actuality. This place was teeming with thieves who checked every suspicious person like hawks in the night.

The only way to truly enter without being caught was to enter as a member of the thieves guild. And that was exactly what they did—they captured members from three different settlements, took them prisoner, and tortured them to steal their identities and secrets.

"Yeah." Raven nodded, feeling some accomplishment. Right now, Zeke and Sword Cleaver had infiltrated the settlement in some other way and would be operating with them from a distance.

Their first operation was to make some contacts.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Outside a much older compound estate, two inconspicuous figures dressed in the hooded attire particular to the thieves guild stood looking inside a cracked gate.

This part of the settlement was a bit far from the main areas—secluded and seemingly abandoned.

"They're trustworthy enough, though it's best you keep your valuables close. They still have some bad habits, I'm afraid." Sword Cleaver laughed, pulling Zeke close to him as they walked in together.

In a couple of days, there would be a massive gathering in Astoria, in the city center. It was a Festival of Lights duly sanctioned by the city lord and his cohorts.

This festival was to bring the occupants of the city together in love, unity, and trade. Such things were common all over the universe. This was especially so for planet Yari, which was a world close to the super sun world, as they worshipped the Great Sun.

Coincidentally, however, this would also be the time when an execution would take place, as the thieves guild prepared to kill a traitor before the whole city.

This person was Yankai's older brother, Yaro, and Veger would be present to carry out the execution with his own hands .

It created a perfect balance of circumstance that would not only allow them to sneak into Astoria because of the festivities but also see their target, Veger, in the open.

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